Ravenstar's Prophecy Prologue:
by HP777
Summary: The prologue to my fan-series on Warriors. Chapter 1 coming soon! C:


**Prologue**

"Cats of IceClan, it is well known that our Clan is at its peak of brilliance during the season of leaf-bare, when the other Clans are struggling to survive." A glossy black tom began addressing his Clan from Snowcliff, which was shimmering with freshly packed snow from the pounding snow. It was the only cliff able to see the entire camp at once in IceClan's snowy pine forest that always managed to create snow from even the thinnest frost, and served as a reminder to the cats of IceClan of their unique talent. The pines enclosing the moderately sized clearing rose and fell with the snow that was being driven down on their spiky branches, and a fleck of deposited snow plopped onto the tom's ear. He flicked it off and let his piercing blue gaze sweep the cats below him, who were flexing their claws with high-spirited eyes.

"It is not uncommon for BoulderClan to try to scale the waterfall bordering our territory to try for a sneaky catch of prey that is just as skilled as our Clan are at finding food in the snow." He went on, gesturing with his tail to the snowy woodland that dropped off into a roaring waterfall, the river sourcing the waterfall parting the trees like a giant tail on leaves. "However, this has to stop, and IceClan has no other options left then to fight."

The blizzard had no impact on the spirit of the tom's warriors, for they all raised their voices into yowls of approval.

"We'll show them!"

"I'll line my nest with their filthy pelts!"

A particular young cat's voice sounded next to the tom, making him jump. He was so intent on motivating his Clan that he hadn't noticed his deputy's approach.

"Midnightstar, are you sure about this?" His deputy fretted, working his paws into the snowy ground. His raven-colored pelt was an exact copy of his father's, and he had the same sharp blue eyes. The courageous yowls of Midnightstar's Clan died down in the background, settling into an eager murmuring.

His eyes blazed with intensity, head raised and tail up. "I've never been surer, Ravenwing!"

Turning to his eager Clanmates, he yowled with all of his heart. "IceClan, this is a battle we cannot lose, for we have the advantage!"

His eyes alight with pre-battle energy, Midnightstar led his Clan through the pine forest, halting abruptly at the edge of the waterfall.

"Before we go, I have one thing to tell you all." Midnightstar turned his head to the side, unsheathing his claws in his own anticipation. "We aren't going to their camp, because that would give BoulderClan the advantage of shadows. Stay silent until you get my signal."

Raising his tail in a silent signal to proceed, he turned and began to leap stealthily down the boulders, feeling a surge of pride as his Clan flowed behind him. Midnightstar could feel confidence rolling off of his Clanmates in waves as they all hit the crunchy snow at the foot of the falls, the roaring water blocking their hearing; still, the cats of IceClan instinctively crouched low to the snow, balancing themselves delicately so they didn't sink into the snow, as though stalking prey. As their leader had warned, the IceClan cats remained perfectly motionless, letting their light pelts blend in with the snowy atmosphere. The sparse growth of the weedy plants sprouting through the rocks below the snow made the blending of IceClan pelts in the snow even easier, and gave IceClan their ideal advantage: snow. Better yet- a snowstorm.

After a few heartbeats, the dark shapes of a BoulderClan border patrol were visible in the distance. The patrol was approaching the waterfall, and fast. The heavy snowfall disguising their scent, Midnightstar moved his Clan forward until they were less than a fox-length away from the fairly large patrol. Giving another signal with his tail, he leaped silently into the air, and the rest of his Clan followed suit. The cat targeted by Midnightstar, a jet-black she-cat with striking green eyes, had no idea he was there until he caterwauled to attract her attention. For every BoulderClan warrior, there were at least two IceClan warriors ready for battle; the patrol had no idea what hit them. Ravenwing also advanced on the gray tom, back arched. The she-cat turned to her apprentice- a smoky-furred tom with lengthy fur and dark blue eyes.

"Echopaw! Send reinforcements!" She hissed as Midnightstar jumped onto her back and scored her spine with his hind claws. Echopaw nodded vigorously and scampered away, slipping into a cat-sized hole buried under a few inches of snow as Ravenwing joined Midnightstar on the attack of the she-cat, taking her legs out from under her with a swipe of his front paws and Midnightstar scrambled off of her back and sliced the she-cat's belly with his claws. Hissing in rage and agony, the she-cat threw herself to her paws and rounded on Midnightstar, green eyes burning.

"Midnightstar! What is this about? This, this- raid- on my Clan!" She spat, fur bristling.

Midnightstar faced her levelly. "Fernstar, your Clan has stolen prey from over the waterfall too many times! Our only option left was to fight-" His last word became a screech of pain as a speckled she-cat pounced onto his hind legs and bit down hard on his leg. He snapped around and tore at the she-cat's scruff with his fangs, ripping her off of him and unintentionally sending her sprawling into the foaming waters at the base of the waterfall. Fernstar gasped and lunged into the torrent to pull out the speckled she-cat, revealing Echopaw, who was standing stiff-legged behind her. Less than a heartbeat later, Fernstar dragged the sodden, unmoving body of the she-cat out of the tumbling river at the base of the waterfall and laid the body on the snow-covered ground. Blood leaked from a stone embedded in the she-cat's neck, and Echopaw let out a squeak and rushed to the gray cat's side as word of what happened spread through the chaos; however, instead of dying down, the battle's intensity increased as cats from both sides let hackles rise and hisses fly. Only a small, sparse layer of warriors guarded Echopaw and the body of the she-cat.

Midnightstar tore his claws through any cat with that distinctive BoulderClan-dark pelt, though he had to be careful not to lash out at Ravenwing, whose pelt blended in a little too well with those of the BoulderClan cats. A yowl from directly above him startled him, and he had to lunge skillfully out of the way just as Echopaw landed heavily onto the snow where Midnightstar's neck had been moments before and sank quickly, though this did not phase him. A shadow flitted across Echopaw's face as he spoke quietly, a new air of maturity about him.

"You killed my mother; now it's time for me to kill you. As many times as it takes." He resolved quietly, then jerked his head up, all traces of sadness gone and replaced with a burning anger as he thrust his paw sideways and ripped his claws across Midnightstar's neck as he erupted in a ghastly choking and collapsed. As soon as he was down, Echopaw drew back his blood-soaked paw and deepened the wound nine times, counting each time aloud. With each stroke of Echopaw's paw, Midnightstar's agonized yowl bubbled over the blood in his throat.

"One."

"Two."

"Three."

"Four."

"Five."

"Six."

"Seven."

"Eight."

"Nine."

After the ninth slash, Midnightstar fell silent and still. A black pelt bowled over Echopaw and pinned him to the ground. It was Ravenwing, fur bristling and teeth bared.

"What…" His voice broke, and he started up again, even louder and angrier. "What did you do?!"

Echopaw noticed the crowding cats, and faked his innocence, widening his eyes in mock yet believable shock. "What are you talking about? I didn't do anything!"

Ravenwing narrowed his eyes and lowered his head, ready to sink his teeth into the throat of the long-furred apprentice; however, before he could clamp his jaws shut, Fernstar thumped him out of the way with her head and let Echopaw up, who was trembling in make-believe fear. Then she turned on Ravenwing and hissed.

"BoulderClan will allow you to leave in peace, but you must leave and never return!" She spat, and turned and led her Clan single-file back into the hole Echopaw had raced into moments earlier, tail and head held high. Echopaw shot Ravenwing a smug glance, overlaid with a threat- if he told anyone the truth; he shouldn't expect to live to see the next dawn. Rigid with horror, Ravenwing turned to address his Clan, pressing his tail against the ground to stop it from trembling.

"IceClan, the battle is over. We have lost, at a price that never should have been paid." He announced quietly, wriggling under the glossy black-furred body and lifting himself, half of the body balanced on his shoulders and the other half sunken into the bloodstained snow. Amberpool emerged from the crowd of horrified IceClan and calmly shifted the rear weight of Midnightstar's body onto his shoulders. The cats' crowd parted to let them carry Midnightstar's body up the waterfall before they followed the pair of cats to the top, where IceClan's pine forest waited, snowy and welcoming.


End file.
